Saratoga firm set to make Orange casino bid

TOWN OF NEWBURGH — Gaming company Saratoga Casino and Raceway has emerged at the eleventh hour as a contender for a casino license in Orange County, targeting a site on Route 17K.

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By Jessica DiNapoli

recordonline.com

By Jessica DiNapoli

Posted Apr. 23, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Apr 23, 2014 at 7:40 AM

By Jessica DiNapoli

Posted Apr. 23, 2014 at 2:00 AM
Updated Apr 23, 2014 at 7:40 AM

» Social News

TOWN OF NEWBURGH — Gaming company Saratoga Casino and Raceway has emerged at the eleventh hour as a contender for a casino license in Orange County, targeting a site on Route 17K.

The company, which owns and operates a racino in Saratoga, will present its plans for a casino complex to the Newburgh Town Board at a special meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at the town courthouse, at 311 Route 32.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway will disclose the full details of its proposal then, including how much it plans to invest and the scope of the project, including the size of the casino and related components such as a hotel, said spokesman Michael Morey. The casino complex is proposed for an approximately 70-acre swath of land owned by the Matrix Development Group.

Saratoga plans to submit a $1 million fee to the state to apply for a gaming license by the Wednesday deadline, Morey said. The company has asked the town for a resolution of support to accompany its application.

This fall, New York state will award licenses for up to four casinos in three upstate regions. Saratoga joins a field of about 10 potential applicants in the Hudson Valley/Catskill region, which includes Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties.

For about a month, Saratoga has been quietly laying the groundwork for a casino in Orange County. The Orange County Partnership has been working with the company on a casino under the code name "Project Trotter," said Bill Fioravanti, the economic development organization's director of business attraction.

Last week, representatives of Saratoga presented their plans to state, county and local officials at a private meeting, said Acting Newburgh Town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio.

Piaquadio supports the casino because of the revenue it would generate.

"It would be a good thing for the town and school district, and I'm really hoping for it," Piaquadio said.

The location is ideal because it is next to an industrial park, and there are few houses nearby, he said. The property is next to Stewart International Airport, and bordered by Route 17K to the south, Interstate 84 to the north and the New York State Thruway to the east.

With state approvals, there could be an exit immediately off I-84 onto the site, Piaquadio said. The interchange at the intersection of the Thruway and I-84 also has an exit onto Route 17K, not far from the proposed casino site.

Saratoga has expanded its business over the past several years. In 2012, the company partnered with a thoroughbred racetrack in Kentucky, where it's currently pursuing expanded gaming opportunities. Last year, Saratoga acquired a casino in Colorado.

Saratoga is pursuing another potential casino site in the Albany area. Tuesday, the company released plans for a $300 million casino in East Greenbush, a suburb of Albany about 90 miles north of Newburgh. The casino, hotel, shopping center and entertainment complex would create 1,700 jobs.